Race for California’s 3rd Congressional District will test endurance of Trump’s appeal
The race for the new 3rd Congressional District seat appears to be a tight, unpredictable battle.
The top two finishers in Tuesday’s primary will advance to the general election in November. They’ll fill a seat that’s currently without an incumbent, representing a newly-drawn district that includes Placer, Nevada, Mono, Sierra, Inyo, Plumas and Alpine counties and parts of Sacramento, El Dorado, and Yuba counties.
Two Republicans, Rocklin Assemblyman Kevin Kiley and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, and Democrat Kermit Jones, a Navy veteran and physician, are regarded as top contenders. Kiley has raised more than $1.4 million. Kermit Jones has raised more than $1.2 million. Scott Jones has won three elections for sheriff.
Kiley has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Scott Jones is backed by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, who represented much of the district for years but is now competing in the new Fifth District. Trump won the district with about 50% of the vote in 2020, and independent analysts rate the race as “likely Republican.”
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At a debate last week the two Republicans, Jones and Kiley, refused to answer directly when asked if Joe Biden was the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Last month former President Donald Trump endorsed Kiley, although Jones was seen as working harder to win the MAGA seal of approval.
While Trump’s endorsement of Kiley means Kermit Jones has a useful new foil, analysts say the 3rd is likely to remain a tough race for a Democrat.
Jones, the Sacramento County Sheriff, tried to burnish his law-and-order credentials, aired an ad that Black Lives Matter organizers say unfairly associated them with violence in 2020.
Jones and Kiley differ in style.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 3:00 AM.
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